1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to air/oil separators, and more particularly to the construction of the radially outwardly extending mounting flange on such separators.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Air/oil separators are typically used where it is necessary to remove suspended oil mist from an air stream, such as in the exhaust systems of air compressors. The separator allows the exhausted air to be used without the contamination of the oil which has entered the air in the compressor, and provides for the recovery of the oil so that it can be reused. The separator uses a filter media pack through which the air flows and in which the oil coalesces. The separator is mounted in a separation chamber of an oil reservoir tank and is designed to be replaceable, so that the separator can be removed and replaced with a clean separator when the separator becomes dirty or contaminated through use. In most prior art designs of air/oil separators, the shape of the separator is generally radially symmetrical about a central axis, and the separator is mounted so as to be suspended within the separation chamber. The contaminated air usually enters the separation chamber and flows into the center of the air/oil separator where it then flows axially out of the separation chamber. As the air flows radially through the layers of the separator, the oil coalesces and collects on the outside of the separator where it drains into a reservoir. The flow directions may also be reversed in which contaminated air is introduced into the center of the air/oil separator and flows radially outwardly through the layers of the separator with the oil coalescing and collecting on the bottom of the separator, where it can be syphoned off or drained into the reservoir.
An example of a prior art air/oil separator is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,555, issued to Patel et al. The filter media pack has been typically made of pleated layers of a filter media, formed into a cylinder or other suitable radially symmetrical shape. The filter media pack has been retained in place by end caps mounted onto each. Since the separator was suspended from the top end cap, the top end cap required a rigid metal support in the form of a circular member formed in an inverted trough within which a potting compound was molded with the top end of the filter media pack secured in the compound and held thereby. The separator was mounted in the separation chamber by means of a mounting flange which extended radially outwardly from the top end cap of the separator. The outward end of the flange was captured within two portions of the tank and the inward end was attached to the top end cap, so that the separator was suspended in the separation chamber. Specifically, this mounting flange was typically welded or brazed or otherwise connected to the circular trough member of the top end cap.
While this prior art air/oil separator design operated in a suitable manner, it has always been desirable to make the separators as efficiently as possible and to minimize the steps in the manufacturing operation.